Apparatus foe evaporating or distilling liquids



(No Model.)

B. THEISEN. APPARATUS FOR BVAPORATING 0R DISTILLING LIQUIDS. No.552,455.

m W I w z w N0 m Em \Q I i m U U j AN DREW BJIRAHM'LPHOTO-U'MQWASHNGTON. DC.

Nirnn STATES ATENT r OFFICE.

EDUARD THEISEN, OF BADEN, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING OR DISTILLING LIQUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,455, dated December31, 1895. Application filed August 19,1895. Serial No. 559,838. (Nomodel.)

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, EDUARD THEISEN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, resid ing at 15 \Verderstrasse, Baden, Germany, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Evaporating orDistilling Liquids, of which the following is a specification. 7

It is well known that the evaporation of liquids is effected the morerapidly the thinner is the layer of liquids subjected to heattransmitted through surfaces over which it flows, and the greater is theextent of such heattransmitting surfaces. It is also known that thetransmission of heat from the heating-surface to the liquidtakes placemore effectually and rapidly if motion is imparted to the liquid on thesaid surface.

My invention relates to the construction of apparatus for evaporating ordistilling liquids in which the above-mentioned advantageous modes ofaction are carried out, and which I will describe with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section,and Fig. 2 a cross-section, of the apparatus.

The invention consists mainly in the employment of a revolving drum, theouter surface of which is subjected to the action of heat impingingthereon at one particular point, while on the inner surface thereof theliquid is made to travel in a thin layer, produced by centrifugal actionand which is evaporated by the transmitted heat. I term the drum acentrifugal drum because of the fact that it rotates at a speedsufficient to cause a thin film of the liquid to travel over its innersurface while subjected to heat from the exterior of the drum.

The drum a, which may either be cylindrical with horizontal or inclinedaxis or slightly conical and either with a plane or corrugated surfaceand is closed by plates 0 0 at the ends, is supported at one end by anaxis 1) with driving-pulley and at the other end by a hollow axis 0,centrally through which passes apipe d to the other end of the drum,where it has a radial branch 6 from which the liquid to be evaporated isdelivered onto the inner surface of the drum co, so that by the rotationof the latter the said liquid is caused by the resulting centrifugalaction to be distributed in a uniform thin layer over its surface, whileat the same timeit is made to flow at any desired speed (regulated bythe rate of supply through d- 6) along the drum to the left-hand end. Atthis end the drum is formed with an annular enlargement 7, into whichthe liquid flows from the other part of the drum, and whence it is takenor from a point above the axis of the drum by a stationary pipe h. whichpasses through the hollow axis 0 of the drum and is connected byastop-cock to the pipe (1, so that the liquid taken up by pipe 71 can beeither entirely passed back through (1 into the drum again or it may bepartly or wholly discharged throughabranch 7c, the pipe d being in thatcase supplied partly or Wholly with fresh liquid through a branch withstopcock z'.

The drum is contained in a brickwork or other casing f, heated by a fireat g and having flues formed as shown so 'as to surround the drum andleading to the chimney at f. The flame impinges upon the outer surfaceof the drum at one particular point. Thus when the drum is rotated at aspeed sufficient to cause the material being treated to travel over itsinterior surface in a thin film the heat of the flame is distributeduniformly over the entire surface of the drum and the transmitted heatis imparted in a uniform degree to said material. Thus the liquid beingmade to circulate through the drum as described while this is rotatedand heated externally in a very uniform manner by the fire, a rapid andefiective evaporation or distillation of the liquid will be effected,the same body of liquid being, if necessary, acted upon repeatedly asmay be desired until either all the more volatile constituents aredistilled off or until the residue has attained a certain degree ofconcentration, when it is discharged through the pipe h and cock is, asdescribed.

The cook also serves to take samples of the liquid from time to time forcontrolling the progress of the operation.

The annular enlargement Z of the drum is divided by a ring-shaped platen into two compartments, the inner one serving to receive the liquidfrom the drum, as described, while the outer one is supplied with a bodyof water or other suitable liquid, which is retained therein by thecentrifugal action. Into this liquid dips the periphery of a stationarydisk m, which supports the pipes h d p and which forms a hydraulic jointwith the Water 1111 that effectually prevents the escape of any of thevapors generated in the drum and avoids the necessity of ordinarypacking, which would cause loss of power by friction. The disk m issupported by the central tubular projection m, the outer end of which isfixed to a suitable support. The vapors generated are discharged througha pipe p,leading from the disk on, to any locality, Where they areeither directly utilized or are condensed or otherwise treated orrectified, as the nature thereof may require.

It will be seen that this apparatus readily allows of a process offractional distillation of petroleum and otherliquids of a compoundnature being carried out, the fire heat being for this purpose increasedat certain stages of the process in the well-known manner.

It is evident that material other than that hereinbefore referred to maybe treated in this apparatus.

I do not herein claim the specific invention forming the subject-matterof my application for Letters Patent filed concurrently herewith andnumbered in serial 559,839.

If there be a body of the liquid collected in the lowermost part of thedrum, said drum in rotating will carry around by centrifugal force athin film thereof, which will be subjected to the evaporative' action ofthe heated surface. The collection of the body of liquid in the drum ismore particulary suit-ed for apparatus of smaller dimensions than thathere inbefore described.

Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the best meansI know for carrying the same into practical effect, I claim- 1. Inapparatus for evaporating or distilling, the combination with a drum andmeans for supplying material to the interior thereof at one point, of amechanical scoop entering the drum and Withdrawing the residual liquidtherefrom at a point removed from the point of supply, means forrevolving the said drum at a speed sufficient to cause, by centrifugalforce, the material to travel over its interior surface in a thin film,from the point of delivery to the point of discharge, and an externalmeans of heat impinging upon the surface of the drum, substantially asde scribed.

2. I11 apparatus for evaporating or distill ing, the combination of anexternally heated drum, means for supplying liquid to the interiorthereof, means for revolving the drum at a speed sufiieient to cause, bycentrifugal force, the material to circulate over its surface in a thinfilm and to travel from the point of delivery thereto to the point ofdischarge therefrom, and a discharging device communicating with, andprovided with means for directing the material to, the supply device tobe again passed through the drum, substantially as described.

I11 apparatus for evaporating or distilling, the combination of anexternally heated drum provided with an annular enlargement, means forsupplying material to the interior of the drum, a discharging deviceprojecting into the annular enlargement and means for revolving the drumat a speed sufficient to cause, by centrifugal force, the material. tocirculate over its interior surface in. a thin film, and to travel fromthe point of delivery thereto to the point of discharge therefrom,substantially as described.

4. In apparatus for evaporating or dist-illing liquids, the combinationof a closed revolving drum a, means for heating the same externally, apipe (Z, c, for supplying the liquid to be acted upon to one end of theinner surface of the drum, a pipe h for scooping up the liquid from anannular trough Z at the other end of the drum, and a pipe 1) fordischarging the vapor generated from the interior of the drum,substantially as described.

5. In apparatus for evaporating or distilling liquids, the combinationof a revolving drum a closed at one end by a plate 0 fixed thereto, andat the other end by a fixed disk on projecting into an annularenlargen'ient of the drum, pipes (Z, 71-, and p, supportedby the disk onand serving respectively for introducing the liquid to be acted uponinto the drum, for Withdrawing said liquid from the drum,

and for discharging the vapors generatedfrom the drum, and means forheating said drum externally, substantially as described. In testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses, this 1st day of August, A. I). 1895.

EDWARD TIIEISFN. \Vitnesses:

KARL IIAHNLElN, ERNusT THERION.

